Mast structure



Oct. 19, 1943. H, J WOOLISLAIYER ET AL 2,332,479

MAST STRUCTURE Filed April 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 271758858. BY Hfnrrmmsrs.

t 3- H. J. WCIJOHLSLAYER ET AL 2,332,479

MAST STRUCTURE Filed April 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N W I Patented Oct.19, 1943 MAST STRUCTURE Homer J. Woolslayer, Erwin A. Campbell, andCecil Jenkins, Tulsa, Okla., assignors to Lee C. Moore & Company, Inc.,Pittsburgh, Pa.,. a cor-.

poration of Pennsylvania Application April 10, 1943, Serial No. 482,554

- 11 Claims.

This invention relates to oil well masts or derricks that are adapted tobe assembled in sections along the ground and then swung upwardly intoupright position.

In accordance with this'invention, a mast" is mounted on top of asubstructure which is open inwardly from. its front end so that it canstraddle a well. The mast and substructure are located a It now is notuncommon to erect oil well masts so that the center-line of the well isadjacent or by assembling them in prone position along the in the frontplane of the mast the rear legs; of ground from large prefabricatedsections, and which straddle the draw-works'm'ounted on the thenswinging them up into upright position substructure behind the well. Therear legs are over th wells. For this purpose the lower ends pivotallyconnected to the -substructure while the of the front legs are hinged tosupporting means, front legs are detachably connected to supportandcables attached to the masts are passed over ing means mounted on thesubstructure. T'o'pro gin poles to the draw-works by which the mastsvide adequate working space between the well and I are raised from theground. These masts genthe front legs of the mast, the members that formerally are let down and separated into sections the lower endportions-of the front legs are inagain after they have served theirpurpose, and clined forwardly and/or laterally so that their thesections are trucked to new locations where feet are connected to thesubstructure a considthe masts are again erected the same as before.erable distance in front of 'the front plane of the It will be seen thatto save time and labor it is mast and/or beyond its sides. The lower endpor desirable to make the mast from as few 'prefabritions of the frontlegs preferably are pivoted to cated sections as possible, but statehighway and their upper portions. Thus, by disconnecting the railroadclearance regulations limit the height front legs from the substructureand swinging and width of loads that can be carried over the f themeither up against their upper portions or highways and railroads. Also,there are the ecoback toward the rear legs, the mast is freeto benomical limitations of ocean shipments of masts, swung forward and 'downuntil it extends sub because the cost of such shipments is determinedstantially horizontally along the ground. The by volume. It follows thatif a mast is to be open or slottedfront endof the substructure per--assemblec l from only a few sections, the width of mits the lowerportion of themast to move down the mast must be as small as possible sothat in into the substructure and therebylie close to the v shipmentthose sections will not be too wide nor ground. The mast may be loweredby a cable suptoo 'high for the highways, railroads, or ocean ported bya gin pole mounted on the substructure shipments. However, in a masthaving a small above the draw-works. The mastis erected by base thecustomary practice is to hang the travelreversing the procedure. ingblock'close to th front of the mast, so the The invention is illustratedin the accompanywell, which should be directly below the block, is ingline drawings in which Fig. l is a side view of located much closer tothe front than the rear our mast structure in operative position; Fig. 2of the mast where the draw-works is located. is a rear view thereof;Fig. 3 is a side view show- Although this leaves sufiicient workingspace being the mast in its lowered position extending hind the well, itdoes not leave as much clearance along'the ground; Fig. 4 is afragmentary plan in front as desired. As it is the front legs that viewof Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken are hinged to thesupporting structure, their 40 on the line VV of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is afraglower portions can not be swung forward away mentary side view of amodified embodiment of from the well after the mast has been swung upthe invention. into upright position to increase that clearance.Referring to the drawingsya structural steel Such a mast is lesssuitable for use with a subsubstructure I rests on the ground over thewell 2 structure which raises its base several feet above that is to beworked upon. Such a substructure the ground because, when the mast is inprone generally is several feet in height. As shown in positionextending substantially horizontally out Fig. 4, the substructure has anopen area 3 near from th rsubstructure, it requires the men who itsfront ,that surrounds the welland extends out are assembling ordisassembling the mast to stand through the front end of thesubstructure. The on scaffolding in order to reach it, and it alsobifurcated substructure thus formed therefore I requires larger orlonger hoisting equipment for straddles the well, but its open front endmay be handling the sections. closed temporarily by braces when the mast4 is It is among the objects ofthis invention to proin operatingposition. vide an oil well mast structure of the character Mounted onthe substructure directly behind referred to above which includes asubstructure; th well is the usual draw-works 6 (Figs. 1 and 3) inwhich-the mast can be assembled close to the by which the cable 1 (shownin broken lines) that ground and then swung up into upright position;supports the traveling block 8 in the mast is reeled in which the mastis relatively small in transverse in and out. The mast itself ismountedon top section; and which has adequate clearance within of thesubstructure and is onlywide enouglnatits its base allaround the well.

bottom to permit its rear legs 9 to straddle the I draw-works. By makingthe mast as narrow as possible it can be divided into fewer sectionswhen disassembled for transportation to a new location, and still staywithin the load limits set by'highway regulations.

In accordance with this invention the lower 7,

ends of the rear legs are detachably pivoted in hinge brackets l Imounted on the substructure on'opposite sides of the draw-works in aposition that leaves plenty of working space between the well and the,back of the mast. The result, however, is that the front plane of themast is located so close to the well that with masts of this type knownheretofore there would be but little working space betweenthe well andfront legs within the base of the mast. It is therefore an object ofthis invention to increase this working space by connecting the lowerportion' l2 of each front leg to its upper portion by a hingejoint,indicated at l3. This leaves lower portions I2 free to be swung relativeto the rigid upper portions of the front legs. The lower ends of thefront legs are detachably connected to brackets I4 mounted on thesubstructure a considerable'distance' in front of the mast and,preferably, somewhat outwardly beyond its sides. If desired, however,the brackets can be located in front of the mast in line with its sides,or beyond the sides but within the front plane of the mast. In any case,by' inclining the lower portions of the front legs outwardly in thismanner, as much working space is provided within the base of the mastinfront of the well as behind it.

When it is desired to take down the mast and transport it to a newlocation, the front legs are disconnected'from brackets I4 and pivotedportions I2 may be' swung back against the main diagonal braces l5 atthe lower end of the mast. The legs can be temporarily fastened to thesebraces in any suitable manner tohold them in their rear position. Theweight of the mast is then supported entirely from hinge brackets II onwhich the mast can be swung forward and down to the ground.

Cable and the draw-works are used for raising and lowering the mast. Toprovide an elevated support for the cable while it is employed forswinging the mast, a gin pole is mounted on the substructure directlybehind the mast and it projects above thedraw-works. The gin polecomprises substantially vertical members [6 fastened to hinge bracketsH', bracing members '11 fastened to brackets l8 mountedon thesubstructure near the near end of the draw-works. These members areconnected at the top by a cross member l9 (Figs. 2 and 4) which supportsa sheave 20 engaged by cable I. If desired, the top of the gin pole canbe rigidly connected to the mast by suitable members 2|. (Fig. l) tohelp steady the mast. In preparation for lowering the mast, thetraveling block 8 is hoisted, up in the mast and a cable sling 23 (shownin broken lines in Figs. 1 and 3) is fastened temporarily to the bottomof the block and passed under a sheave 24 mounted in the center of themast and over to the top of the gin pole to which the sling is anchored.As cable 1 is paid out by the draw-works in order to lower the travelingblock, the mast swings forward, its weight being supported in part bythe sling on which sheave 24 rests'as shown in the broken line positionof the mast in Fig. 1. Continuedlowering of the traveling block tends toincrease the slack in the sling which thereby permits the mast to swingdown until it reaches and diagonal on temporary blocks the ground orcomes to rest in prone position. It

' tions A, B, and C. and transported to a new well site. To erect themast, the lowering procedure just outlined is reversed In themodification shown in Fig. 6, the lower ends of the rear legs 26 of amast are hinged to brackets ll on the substructure I, but the front legs21 do not reach down to the substructure. Instead,'the lower ends of thefront legs are detachably connected at 28 to the central portions of thedownwardly and forwardly inclined front legs 29 of a gin pole. Thevertical rear legs 30 of the gin pole are attached to brackets I I, andthe front legs extend down past the opposite sides of the mast withtheir lower ends connected to supporting brackets l4 mounted on thesubstructure in front of the mast. Adequate clearance in front of thewell is thus provided. By disconnecting the mast from gin pole legs 29at the connection 28, the mast can be swung forward.

and down to the ground in the same manner as the mast first describedherein.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explainedthe principle and con-, struction of our invention and have illustratedand described what we now consider torepresent its best embodiment.However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of theappended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a, mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, means detachablyconnecting the front legs to the substructure, and means for swingingthe mast forward and down when said front legs are disconnected from thesubstructure, whereby the mast will extend out through said open frontend of the substructure and along the ground.

2. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lower ends of thefront legs extending outwardly in front of the front plane of the mastto provide increased clearance in front of the well within the derrickbase, means detachably connecting the front legs to the substructure,and means for swinging the mast forward and down when said front legsare disconnected from the substructure, whereby the mast will extend outthrough said open front end of the substructure and along the ground.

3. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lower ends of thefront legs being pivoted to their upper portions and extending outwardlyin front of the front plane of the mast to provide increased clearancein front of the well within the derrick base, means detachablyconnecting the front legsto the substructure, and means for swinging themast forward and down when said front legs are disconnectedfrom thesubstructure and swung back, whereby the mast will extend out. throughsaid open front end of the substructure and along the ground.

4. An oil well mast structure comprising a substrucutre for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lower ends of thefront legs being hinged to their upper portions and extending outwardlyin front of the front plane of the mast and laterally beyond the sideplanes of the mast to provide increased clearance in front of the wellwithin the derrick base, means detachably connecting the front legs tothe substructure, and means for swinging the mast forward and down whensaid front legs are disconnected from the substructure, whereby the mastwill extend out through said open front end of the substructure andalong the ground.

5. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, draw-works mountedon the substructure behind the well, a mast mounted on top of thesubstructure and having front and rear legs, means hinging the rear legsto the substructure on opposite sides of the draw-works, the lower endsof the front legs extending outwardly in front of 'the front plane ofthe mast to provide increased clearance in front of the well within thederrick base, means detachably connecting the front legs to thesubstructure, and means including a gin pole mounted on the substructurefor swinging the mast forward and down when said front legs aredisconnected from the substructure, whereby themast will extend outthrough said open front,

end of the substructureand along the ground.

6. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure adapted tostraddle a well and being open from its front end inwardly to the well,a mast mounted on the substructure with its front plane much closer thanits rear plane to the well, saidmast having front and rear legs, meanshinging the rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lowerends of the front legs extending outwardly in front of said front planeto increase the clearance between the well and the lower portions of thefront legs, means detachably connecting the front legs to thesubstructure, and means mounted on the substructure for swinging themast forward and down when said front legs are disconnected from thesubstructure, whereby the mast will extend out through said open frontend of the substructure and. along the ground.

'7. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddlinga well and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a, mast mountedon top of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lower ends of thefront legs extending outwardly in front of the front plane of the mastto provide increased clearance in front of the well within the derrickbase, means detachably connecting detachably connected to the mast tosteady it, and means cooperating with said gin pole for swinging themast forward and down after said front legs have been disconnected fromthe substructure and the gin pole has been disconnected from the mast,whereby the mast will; extend out through said open front end of thesubstructure and along the ground.

8. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, supporting means onthe substructure, means detachably connecting the front legs to saidsupporting means, and means for swinging the mast forward and down whensaid front legs are disconnected from said supporting means, whereby themast will extend out through said open front end of the substructure andalong the ground.

9. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddling awell and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lower ends of thefront legs extendingv outwardly relative to their upper portions toprovide increased clearance in front of the well within the derrickbase, means detachably connecting the front legs to the substructure andmeans for swinging the mast forward and down when said front legs aredisconnected from the substructure, whereby the mast will extend outthrough said open front end of the substructure and along the ground.

10. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddlinga well and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mount-'-ed on top of the substructure and having front and rear legs, meanshinging the rear legs to the substructure behind the well, supportingmeans attached to the top of the substructure in front of the frontplane of the mast, means detachably connecting the front. legs to saidsupporting means, and means for swinging the mast forward and down whensaid front legs are disconnected from said supporting means, whereby themast will extend out through said open front end of the substructure andalong the'ground.

11. An oil well mast structure comprising a substructure for straddlinga well and open at its front end inwardly to the well, a mast mounted ontop of the substructure and having front and rear legs, means hingingthe rear legs to the substructure behind the well, the lower ends of thefront legs-being spaced from the top of the substructure, rigid membersextending downwardly from the rear of'the mast past its opposite sidesto points in front of the front plane of the mast, means at said pointsconnecting said members to the substructure, means indethe front legs tothe substructure, a gin pole mounted on the substructure behind the mastand

